Deal!





Turn 45, April 23rd 1942

German troop ready strength this week has increased to 3.240.000 men, the number of operational tanks has increased to 2.428 tanks, Luftwaffe operational strength stays just below 3.000 aircraft. Not looking too bad.

This week Colonel General Guderian has been promoted to Field Marshal! A well-deserved reward for the father of the German Panzer forces. Less good news: I'll lose the 10th Panzerdivision in about 5 weeks. The division will be heading for France to refit. Lucky b*astards...


Up North it's been a calm week. No Red Army attacks and I won't attack either. The mud pretty much precludes major offensive operations. I really don't like the build-up of Soviet forces in this area though. Especially the presence of several Tank Corps. Will keep an eye on them.



Same for the Moscow area. Except for a small number of limited attacks against exposed Red Army formations I keep my units on the defensive, continuing the reorganizing of various corps and armies.



In the Tula area Operation Rheingold finally ends with the destruction of 3 rifle brigades, 3 rifle divisions and the 2nd Tank Corps. More than 35.000 Soviets march into captivity. German losses have been light and by next week all Panzer and motorized divisions currently still in the front line will have been relieved by infantry divisions once again. The 5 Panzerdivisions in the area number around 85 tanks each on average. Not terribly bad, but they will need 2-3 weeks of refitting to get back to strength.



In the Rostov area my forces continue their attacks. 11th Panzerdivision throws back a Soviet rifle corps back across the Don, and 16th Panzer forces two tank corps to retreat, leaving 40+ burning tanks on the battlefield. With the arrival of two fresh infantry corps, the XI and XVII, I should be able to cross the Don with my Panzerdivisions next week and cut off Rostov and the Russian divisions defending it.



On the Crimea 8 infantry divisions and the crack 22nd airlanding division have been assembled for the assault on Sevastopol. 12 artillery battalions have already been transferred to 11th Army and XXX Corps to provide the heavy firepower necessary to crack open the fortress and pretty much all of the Romanian Air Force has been moved forward to support the attack, too.

And from all over the Eastern Front the really heavy stuff is rolling South: 8x240mm guns, 30x305 and 355mm howitzers and Karl, a 600mm siege mortar.


The LVII Panzerkorps has also arrived on the Crimea and will be ready for an offensive towards the Kuban once the weather gets better.



All in all it's been a rather quiet week. It's going to be interesting to see if I can take Rostov even in the mud, and at what cost. And I need to decide when to start Alberich, the offensive in the North to destroy the large Soviet concentration of troops.

PS:

Totally forgot that my Hungarian allies have released the 2nd Hungarian Army for operations on the Eastern Front. 7 (light) infantry and an armoured division(s) are already on their way to the Crimea, a very much welcomed reinforcement.